General News
29 May, 2026
Call to support Red Shield
Every donation will count this weekend as Maryborough Salvation Army concludes their campaign to support local families doing it tough amid the growing cost of living.
The Maryborough Salvos are calling on the community to dig deep as the 2026 Red Shield Appeal reaches its pinnacle.
Australia’s largest and longest running door knock appeal is in its 62nd year, aiming to raise over $41 million nationwide.
But Maryborough Salvos Major Vanessa Evans said the local group is eager to do their bit to make the most of this year’s campaign.
“Any money raised in Maryborough, will stay in Maryborough, so we can then draw on that money for different purposes,” she said.
However, this year’s Red Shield Appeal couldn’t come at a more pressing time.
Continued cost of living pressures have meant more people are turning to the services the Salvation Army provides.
The Maryborough Salvos saw 250 people at last December’s Christmas campaign.
Last year also had Maryborough Salvos see 2802 distinct clients, one nominated member of each family seeking support.
Some $282,000 worth of donations had gone toward locals they’ve assisted.
But Ms Evans has witnessed an influx of new faces in recent weeks.
“We are seeing an increase. Recently we saw a huge increase, and not what we would call those from low socioeconomic backgrounds, but those we would have once called middle class people. People who are struggling with mortgages or everyday living. We see more people coming in for bread, and we do that three days a week,” she said.
“It’s people with housing issues, or wanting material aid ... it would be great if everyone could afford what they need. I feel really sad people are at that stage, through no fault of their own.
“I read a statistic the other day that said one in 10 parents go without food so their kids can have a meal. That’s a lot, and it doesn’t need to happen.”
In an enormous task to combat the issue, other Maryborough Salvos major and Central Victoria team leader Robert Evans embarked on a 200km trek in four days from Bendigo to Ballarat, with a goal of raising $20,000.
Ms Evans said the money raised from the walkathon will go toward employing a community engagement worker to support and develop local community services.
“To have someone as an intake worker, and assess some of the needs better than what we are doing at the moment, that’s what he was raising money for,” she said.
“Our hope is we can continue to do what we are doing, and build on that with other programs and other opportunities, to not just do a band aid solution but refer as much as we can.”
One of the biggest annual fundraisers for the Maryborough Salvos, team members have embarked on numerous projects to drum up community support. Along with Mr Evan’s walkathon, volunteers have collected donations at local shopping centres, and even hosting their annual trivia night, with their digital door knock donations currently sitting at over just $2500.
“We are really pumped about what’s happening, it’s our main fundraiser,” Ms Evans said.
The Red Shield Appeal culminates this weekend, with a number of ways locals can support the campaign. The Maryborough Salvos will be collecting at the traffic lights on High Street this weekend, and volunteers will be collecting at Maryborough IGA until June 5.
“We may not be able to help with everything, that is a given, but we can help with some things,” Ms Evans said.
“When someone walks through the door, we don’t know whether or not they have been on the phone to another agency who has kept them on hold for ages and ages and then said ‘no you can’t have something’ we don’t know what their family situation is like, yet if we can help out as much as we can, then we have done our job.
“We say hello, have a conversation with them, get to know them. We have had many people come in who were overwhelmed, yet they do find that support and care, and they are walking out the door crying because some one has gone out of their way to help them, but that is our job.”